INFECTIOUS 'ROCK OF AGES' IS A "FANTASTIC" SHOW

ROCK OF AGES

Written by Chris D’Arienzo
Directed by Kristin Hanggi

Reviewed by Craig Nolan Highley

Entire contents are copyright © 2011, Craig Nolan Highley. All rights reserved.

You know you’re not in for the usual Broadway musical fare when the little old lady who gives you your program offers you earplugs and a faux cigarette lighter as you enter the theater.

The lighter (a cheap plastic thing with a tiny bulb that lights up when you press it in the right place) is for holding over your head and swaying to the music. The earplugs (as explained to me by the aforementioned little old lady) are because “it gets really loud.”

That sentiment could sum up the whole experience of Rock of Ages, a jukebox musical tying together over thirty 80’s-era power ballads, heavy metal and hair band songs into a surprisingly coherent (if not very original) and hilariously funny storyline.  Between the pounding beat of the infectious music and raging laughter and applause from the audience, the show really will give your ears a workout.

It tells the 1987-set story of young lovers Drew and Sherrie: he, a young metal-rocker working as a busboy while pursuing his dream of becoming a star; and she, a star-struck actress wannabe who catches his eye and heart.  They both work for the Bourbon Room, an LA rock & roll bar that is about to be razed by German land developers to make room for a shopping center.

In a bid to save the bar, a rock band on the verge of break-up is invited to make the Bourbon Room the location of their farewell performance.  The lead singer Stacee Jaxx, a vice-ridden lothario with a collapsing career, proves to be an obstacle to Drew and Sherrie’s affections leading to some typical romantic complications.

It’s a fairly simple and straightforward story, parodying many 80’s-era romantic teen dramas (including some nice touches like the obvious gay character who’s not really gay), but it doesn’t quite go where you expect it to.  Almost none of the characters get what they originally wanted in the end, but it still wraps up on a ridiculously upbeat note.  Even a major character’s death is handled with humor and we see the guy happily in heaven in the closing number!

Threaded through all of this action are all the songs you remember from the period (especially if, like me, you spent the majority of your teen years in that decade).  It’s really amazing to see how they have worked in such diverse songs as We Built This City, Sister Christian, Come On Feel The Noise, Hit Me With Your Best Shot, Any Way You Want It, and Don’t Stop Believing, just to name a few, into the narrative.

The cast is first-rate; starting with original Broadway cast member and American Idol alumni Constantine Maroulis as Drew. The guy not only has a golden voice tailor-made for this type of music, he really can act. He gives the character an innocence and vulnerability that seem to be out of place with the head-banging persona called for.  He is nicely paired up with Rebecca Faulkenberry as Sherrie in a fearless performance that nearly bears all over the arc of her character.

Australian recording artist MiG Ayesa also turns in a hysterically over-the-top turn as Stacee Jaxx, creating that elusive animal known as the “lovable villain.” He practically steals every scene he’s in.

All in all this was a fantastic show performed by a stellar cast. I did hear some less-than-happy comments from some of the gray-hairs in the audience, but it’s not really a show for them. If you are nostalgic for the innocence as well as the vices of that decade, then this is definitely the show for you!

Featuring Constantine Maroulis, Nick Cordero, Rebecca Faulkenberry, Patrick Lewallen, Teresa Stanley, Casey Tuma, Bret Tuomi, Travis Walker, MiG Ayesa, Angela Brydon, Joey Calveri, Lindsay Janisse, Sean Jenness, Holly Laurent, Lauralyn McClelland, Rashad Naylor, Josh Sassanella, Erika Shannon, and J. Michael Zygo.

Rock of Ages

January 25-30, 2011
The Kentucky Center for the Arts
501 West Main Street
Louisville, KY 40202
(502) 584-7777
www.kentuckycenter.org